Public Statement from H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine on
the
Shift by ETS to Computer-Based Educational Testing in Africa

Established in 1993 to facilitate the use of the Internet to enhance
teaching and research, H-Net is by far the largest online consortium of
scholars and teachers in the humanities and social sciences. H-Net is
firmly committed to international collaboration and scholarly exchange.
It is actively engaged in partnerships throughout Africa to facilitate the
development of Internet resources, training, and networking for higher
education.

H-Net is committed to the appropriate use of computer technology. As a
result, H-Net is deeply concerned about recent changes in how the
Educational Testing Service administers the TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and other
tests necessary for admission to American universities. While the shift
to computer based testing can bring increased efficiency in management,
such a shift must take into account accessibility to computer resources
and ensure that participants are not unduly disadvantaged by
administrative changes. ETS's decision to shift immediately to computer
based testing administered through Sylvan Learning Centers is particularly
problematic for Africa where:

Permanent Sylvan testing centers are present in only 14 of the 46
Sub-Saharan African countries;

Mobile test units are not available in all of the remaining 32
countries;

Mobile test units in many cases will offer only one test date per
year, and are scheduled randomly with no apparent linkage to the academic
calendar;

Travel to such test units can be next to impossible for prospective
students.

We are also worried that the increased costs that accompany the switch to
computer-based testing will make it financially impossible for many more
Africans to apply.

H-Net is therefore asking ETS to reconsider its decision to shift
immediately to computer-based testing and to guarantee at a minimum that:

All African students can take tests within 200 km of their homes and
in their home countries;

TOEFL, GRE and GMAT and other such tests be offered on a regular basis
throughout the year.

Additionally, we ask that ETS research the impact of the shift to
computer-based testing on students who have never worked with a computer
previous to the test. We are deeply concerned that this shift along with
the higher fees will substantially disadvantage African students.

It is urgent that this matter be resolved as quickly as possible so that
we do not lose a full year or more of foreign exchange students.